The cities of Alpharetta, Roswell and Milton are entering into a partnership on the integration of a joint SWAT team.

Alpharetta city council members voted Monday night to approve a memorandum of understanding, which says each city will bear the costs of its own employees and their personal equipment, but operations will be joint.

Recently, the Roswell Roswell Police Department suggested integrating its team with Alpharetta’s team, which is already joined with Milton.

According to Alpharetta Director of Public Safety Gary George, the combination of SWAT teams will offer several operational advantages, including greater manpower, additional equipment and more specialized skills — with no incremental costs to Alpharetta.

“It’s simply a manpower situation, to bring the cities together in a partnership, for much better teamwork,” George said.

George said the memorandum could potentially save the city money.

The joint SWAT team will include 22 officers from Roswell, 16 from Alpharetta and nine from Milton.

The cities of Roswell and Milton have already approved the memorandum.

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